Mr. Alexander Cunningham, the seminarian speaker for the St. Charles Seminary Appeal, sent a note thanking you for welcoming him and meeting with him. “Thank you for welcoming me into your parish and home. It was a great blessing to me. I enjoyed meeting the parishioners and clergy. You have such a beautiful community and Our Lady of Peace and Notre Dame de Lourdes.” Thank you for your generosity and for your prayerful, and financial support of St. Charles Seminary.
Thanks to all who organized, arranged, staffed, or attended the Winter Fest celebration at OLP on Thanksgiving weekend. The chill, the reindeer, the hot chocolate, the Christmas tree, the caroling, and of course, Santa, added to the wonderful celebration of the start of the Advent season. Thanks again to all who made this a remarkable way to bridge Thanksgiving into Advent.
Today, 8 December is traditionally the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Patronal Feast Day of the United States of America. This solemnity is always a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States since it is a celebration of Mary, as our Patroness. However, since 8 December is a Sunday of Advent this year – a privileged seasonal celebration that takes precedence over other liturgical celebrations – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is transferred to the next available date – Monday 9 December. The Solemnity is transferred but the obligations associated with that solemnity are not transferred.
However, in October 2024, Pope Francis clarified that when a solemnity is transferred, all the obligations associated with it are transferred as well. So, this year 9 December would be the Holy Day of Obligation. Then, on 4 November 2024, Archbishop Perez, understanding that it is too late to alter calendars that were printed before the Pope’s clarification, has dispensed the faithful of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from the obligations associated with the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – for this year only.
The Saturday/Monday Holy Day debate involves only three Holy Days: Mary, the Mother of God, The Assumption, and All Saints’ Day. If any of these three, and only these three, occur on a Saturday, or a Monday then the obligation to attend Mass is abrogated. So, looking forward to the Holy Days of Obligation for the 2025 Liturgical Year – they would be:
Christmas: Wednesday, 25 December
Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God: Wednesday, 1 January
Ascension of The Lord: Thursday, 29 May
Assumption of the Blessed Mother: Friday, 15 August
The Solemnity of All Saints will not be a Holy Day of Obligation in 2025 since 1 November is a Saturday. The Immaculate Conception will be a Holy Day of Obligation for the 2026 Liturgical Year.
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, another significant feast of the Blessed Mother for the Western Hemisphere, is this Thursday, 12 December. This feast celebrates the Blessed Mother embracing all people, native as well as colonial, as her beloved children. Our Lady of Guadalupe cherishes the humble and the impoverished, reminding the Church of the compassion and mercy of her Son, and the belief that roses can bloom in the winter in the hearts of those who are filled with the joy, and hope of the Gospel. In seven years, we will commemorate the 500th anniversary of this apparition.